The Well

LIFE GOES ON

During this time, on a day when about 120 believers were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows:
"Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us…
"So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus – from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus' resurrection."
So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
Acts 1:15-17; 21-26

Impertinent Peter took a position of authority in the upstairs room with his peers. He knew that they could no longer just sit and debate over what the future would look like. After much prayer Peter knew it was time to make plans and move on; after all – life goes on!

Certain events in our lives take the breath out of us. Maybe the death of a loved one, a divorce, a child leaving home, an automobile accident, the loss of a job, a major illness, or another crisis has touched your life and left you in limbo. You need to grieve. I think that is part of what occurred in that upper room. They grieved over Judas and the ascension of Jesus, but it was time now to move on. So, good old Peter took the proverbial bull by the horns and started the ball rolling.

Knowing the next step to take after a crisis is sometimes difficult. That is another reason we desperately need the Body of Christ. There are just times when we can't seem to get motivated to take the next step, but if we have a friend to coax us on we will often do what we thought we couldn't do.

People who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have difficulty making decisions. Yet, when they have the love and support of a community of grace these people find that they can get back into the flow of life and actually find joy again. Without a doubt Jesus' followers could have given into their grief and accomplished nothing. Peter knew that. So, he took the first step for them.

Friday night I attended the 40^th reunion of the High School I attended – I did not graduate from High School. My mother got me married long before I was to graduate. My "boyfriend" was in the Navy and when he came home on leave, after being on the "USS Enterprise" (the Navy ship – not the space ship), she insisted that we get married – even though I wasn't anywhere near pregnant. She also felt it was better for me to attend Beauty College rather than finishing High School and since her best friend was a manager at one of the local Beauty Colleges, she got me in, even though I was only fifteen.

Anyhow, it was good seeing a bunch of those folks, but I wasn't allowed to have my picture taken with them, because I wasn't a "graduate." That hurt, but I understood. What blew me away was to discover that many of the folks I looked up to so much ended up with lives much like mine. They too needed a little bit of encouraging.

Maybe you know someone who needs a little encouragement to take the next step in their lives. It just might be that God will use you to inspire them to do that. Yet, no matter what – prayer will be a great help!

Father, there are people reading this who are stuck in their grief. We call on You and the power of Your Holy Spirit to help them take the next step into Your plan and purpose for their lives. If we can be of assistance Lord, we will need You to show us and give us the wisdom needed! We trust You to guide us!